Response to Craigslist lowball offers...

[chuchunesme]

My friend just lost out on a TV he wanted because he sent a lowball offer. They responded saying they had it, he made the offer and they put him on ignore after that. I sent an email a couple days later and they said they still had it, when I called to go look at it that night they had sold it for the full price. He knew it was a good price but wanted to save a few more bucks and lost out. He can't even find anything he likes now in that price range so he screwed up. I always try to make offers in person, otherwise there's a chance you can loose out.

 

[Alpha-tron]

I don't like hagglers when I know they are already getting a good price.
I sold 200 monitors to a person/company for a set price. When I got there he wanted to haggle. I told him to deals off. He wanted to feel he got a better price. I told him I rather have the extra dollars in my pocket than a feeling in his gut. So I took the load of 200 monitors and sold them to his competitor down the street and continued to sell parts to his competitor for 8 years after the fact even tho he beg me to see him parts I still refused.

 

[jawhn]

I like that song.





Am I the only one? I don't mind it being stuck in my head.

 

[smalltownguy2]

I like that song.





Am I the only one? I don't mind it being stuck in my head.

I like it too. And I like you.

*smooch*

 

[jawhn]

I like it too. And I like you.

*smooch*

Oh, thtop it!!!

 

[LyonsArcade]

Most people won't click a link emailed to them though, I just usually ignore them or just say "no thanks". Almost every one that makes an offer right off the bat will either try and lowball you more when they show up or won't show up at all. I had some lady offer $40 for a table we were selling for $75. I told my wife to just take it since it was blocking my Rush. The lady wanted us to wait 3 days till she could get someone with a truck to come pick it up. As soon as she stepped out of the truck I knew she was going to lowball even more. She nitpicked it and offered $30, a solid wood table and 6 chairs and she expected me to go lower. I told her no and started putting everything back in the garage, the guy who drove her over was pissed. She didn't know what to do, she stood there while I put the table and chairs back, then closed the garage door. 10 min later she called me and said she'd take it, I told her it was sold to someone else and they were on their way to pick it up..... I gave it away to a friend the next day. I'd rather give something away than let a lowballer win!

Sir, I salute you. Well played. Well played.

 

[LyonsArcade]

I"ll give you a simillar one. I had a guy that wanted me to work on his old EM pinball machine, I reluctantly told him I would if he brought it to me, I'd get it up and running and rework the playfield for $200. I literally was diong that as an act of charity. So the guy brings it over, and immediately his wife starts bitching about the $200, and wants to do $150. I told her to take the pinball machine and load it back into the car, I was doing it as an act of charity and I was getting a bad vibe from her now, so just take the thing back home with you.

So for about 45 minutes, she kept begging me to reconsider, LOL and apologized over and over saying she didn't realize how much work was involved, blah blah blah. So I'd listen, then calmly explain to her what all was involved, talking in a slow voice. Like

"O.K. I have to take it apart. I have to touch and adjust every single part on the machine. I have to clean every single part on the playfield by hand, then replace it. I have to replace all the rings. I have to strip all the dirt and wax off the playfield, and rewax it. I have to clean and adjust every contact in the machine. There's probably 500 or so. I have to clean the score wheels. I have to replace all the bulbs. " eventually she'd cut me off apologizing again.

So this goes on for about an hour, eventually they left the machine with me because they had traded it in on another machine I had for sale, bought it, and took it with them. LOL!

 

[LyonsArcade]

I don't like hagglers when I know they are already getting a good price.
I sold 200 monitors to a person/company for a set price. When I got there he wanted to haggle. I told him to deals off. He wanted to feel he got a better price. I told him I rather have the extra dollars in my pocket than a feeling in his gut. So I took the load of 200 monitors and sold them to his competitor down the street and continued to sell parts to his competitor for 8 years after the fact even tho he beg me to see him parts I still refused.

A good one I like to pull when they do that (talk down the item) is to tell them you don't want to sell it to them.

Like this:

"I don't know man, this Ms. Pac Man has more screen burn than I wanted, look the sideart is worn on this side, it's pretty beat...."

so I'll answer

"Oh, o.k. Yeah, sorry about that man, if you look around you can probably find one in better shape. I'll find somebody else for this one."

then they'll go

"Well, I'll still buy it but I don't know about - $(whatever the price is)"

me

"Yeah, I wouldn't feel right selling it to you, knowing you want a nicer one. I'm sure you'll find one though, have you looked on craigslist?"

This works pretty good. It cuts through the bullshit pretty quick and they eventually either have to pay what you're asking or walk.

 

[LyonsArcade]

You have to remember that most people assume a price set on CL is negotiable, if it isn't you should really say "FIRM" in your ad. I normally ask twice what I want for the item and if it doesn't sell I work the price down to what I actually want and then state that it's firm (and then still plan on selling for less).

The rudest thing I have said to someone offering me money for something I'm selling is "thank you", and gave them a counter offer. There was an item that I was asking $1,000. for and received an offer of $75. Rather than being "insulted" and firing off a 2 page mantra about what a moron he was and how knowledgeable on prices I am, I was polite and ended up selling it to the guy for $850.

When I walk into a car Dealer and they ask me how much I want to pay, I say "5 dollars".

You can obviously do whatever you want however if you are actually "insulted" by someone offering you cash for an item you no longer want you should keep it or just donate it so that you don't have to deal with people and risk being "insulted".

This is all good info. The key when you're selling (or buying) is to treat it as a business deal. I agree about the being polite thing. I too have sold a bunch of things to people who initially offered a crazy low ball offer, but since I was polite the deal wasn't burned. If you're going to be a salesman you have to be in conrol of the situation, you can't let somebody being stupid get you off your game.

I also think it's bad form to talk trash about somebody's item for sale. It NEVER helps you get the item. If they do sell it to you cheap, they would have sold it to you cheap if you didn't trash it, and when you DO trash it, sometimes it insults people and they won't work with you.

So instead of, like my Ms. Pac example, talking about how bad the burn in is, or how bad the wear on the side of the cabinet is, say

"Hey man, this is a really cool machine. I've always wanted one. I wish I could afford a really nice one, but what I can spend is $300 on this one, that's cash, right now"

That will work JUST AS GOOD as if you trash the machine, and you don't risk offending the seller.

 

[DreamTR]

I definitely deal with a lot of lowballers and time wasters....

I don't mind the lowballing but I mind the nickel and diming more than anything on already good deals.

 

[kencinder]

When I list stuff on Kijiji/CL I ALWAYS put it up for about 10-20% MORE than what I want out of it.
That way when I get a lower offer close to what I want, I can just say "Ok" and be done with it.

It's like an online garage sale...who doesn't haggle at a garage sale?

 

[chuchunesme]

A good one I like to pull when they do that (talk down the item) is to tell them you don't want to sell it to them.

Like this:

"I don't know man, this Ms. Pac Man has more screen burn than I wanted, look the sideart is worn on this side, it's pretty beat...."

so I'll answer

"Oh, o.k. Yeah, sorry about that man, if you look around you can probably find one in better shape. I'll find somebody else for this one."

then they'll go

"Well, I'll still buy it but I don't know about - $(whatever the price is)"

me

"Yeah, I wouldn't feel right selling it to you, knowing you want a nicer one. I'm sure you'll find one though, have you looked on craigslist?"

This works pretty good. It cuts through the bullshit pretty quick and they eventually either have to pay what you're asking or walk.

Yes, thats the way to handle it. Its so lame how they stand there and try to tell you what a piece of crap you have but still they want to buy it. I asked that stupid lady that exact thing, if the table was such a piece of crap why buy it? I also mentioned there are a lot of tables on craigslist and I'm sure she'll fine one she likes...... not for $40 though. It's those little extra comments that drive the whole thing home. I put up a free pile of stuff, in the description I simply stated if you come to pick the stuff up to take it all. I got an email from this guy going off about what an asshole I am to demand they take everything and how these people are doing me a favor. I threw everything in the garbage, took a picture and changed my ad telling everyone that its all being thrown away because of him. I posted his email address and said let him know how they felt about it.
I always list things a little higher than I expect to get, I always haggle but come at me with a stupid offer or try and lower the price after making a deal then I'm more than happy to tell the person to piss off. Also don't piss anyone off that has your phone number, you'll have $175 iPads or free lawnmowers on craigslist, ask me how I know this

 

[jawhn]

... It's like an online garage sale...who doesn't haggle at a garage sale?

I am one of those people that doesn't, if the price is already good. That's just how I was raised. I've had several sellers tell me how surprised they were when I didn't try to haggle witr them. Just told them to pay it forward.